Since mediafeatures about chefs and tattoos seem to be all the rage this week, today is as good a time as any to hop on the bandwagon. So yes, it’s not breaking news that industry people enjoy tattoos. In any event, it’s always fun to hear the stories behind the tattoos, and in the process, get to know your local hospitality folks a little better. Today’s subject is CAV Wine Bar‘s executive chef John Maher, the Aqua vet and avid Twitterer who was recently awarded three stars for his food.

Take a stroll through the gallery above, and read on to find out about culinary school impulses, quellenes, the joy of pain and how to “make it soigné.”

Inside Scoop: Alrighty, break down the tattoos.

John Maher: I have seven tattoos. In chronological order, the first two are Chinese characters that mean “Powerful Spirit.” I got those right when I turned 18. Next, I got my “chef of death” tat while I was in culinary school, maybe at 22. After that, I got “soigné” in 2006 while at El Dorado Kitchen.” When I moved back to CA I got “Johnny” on my left forearm to finish that set. And finally, after a long time of waiting, I finally got my 2 spoons on the bottoms of my arms on May 10. I already have plans for a few more in the coming months.

IS: What’s their significance?

JM: My tattoos represent a timeline of my life, both emotionally and professionally. At 18, I just wanted a tattoo. It wasn’t creative. I got something pretty standard, but still something I liked. After the fact, I found out that my sister had gotten a tattoo that said “Beautiful Spirit,” so I thought that was cool.

Then came culinary school. When you mix line cooks AND college life, things are bound to get a little… hairy. At that time, I wanted to be rebellious and get something deathly. I know that kind of cliche, but at the time that pretty much summed it up. That tattoo ended up giving me one of my many college nicknames, “Chef of Death,” or CoD.

IS: Ah youth. Then you went to work in restaurants. What about the “soigne” one?

JM: I left The French Laundry with then sous chef Ryan Fancher, to be part of the opening crew of El Dorado Kitchen. I now consider Ryan to my mentor [Ed note: Fancher is now at Barndiva, and just got reviewed today]. During my time there, I truly learned what “soigné” meant. Its literal translation means “to look after” or “to care for” in French. In the kitchen it means, quite simply, to make it nice or take extra time to make it perfect. When we first opened, I was working hot apps and had a less busy station than everyone else, so because of that I was given the job of sending out any VIP midcourses/canapés to family, friends, press, etc. Chef would say “Johnny! I need 4 soigné midcourse!” or “Johnny! I need 4 VIP (whatever)! Make it soigné!” Eventually, the nickname “Johnny Soigné” came to be. I really took it to heart and believed in what it meant. Needless to say, Chef was a little shocked when I came in to work with it tattooed on my arm. For me, its a constant reminder to hold myself to the highest possible standard. To always “make it soigné.” Always “make it nice or make it twice.” This tattoo means the most to me.

IS: And now you have some new ones, the spoons?

JM: These have a couple different influences. First, I love to quenelle. I can quenelle damn near anything. I HAVE to be the first to quenelle a fresh batch of ice cream. It gives me so much satisfaction. To me, a perfect quenelle is the sign of talent, technique, finesse, and refinement. Chef Ryan and I have a running inside joke about quenelles. At El Dorado, when he needed to quenelle something, he would yell down to me “Johnny! Get me a rutabaga and a broom handle! I need to quenelle!” Even to this day, I’ll get a random text from him telling me to get him a carrot and squeegee.

The other influence for these tats is the simple fact that spoons are an essential tool of my craft. To me, a good well prepared cook should have his/her own set of spoons. For the tattoo, I knew I didn’t just want plain simple boring spoons. I wanted spoons that looked old. worn down. antique. I wanted spoons that looked like they had soul. Spoons that, if they could talk, would have some pretty amazing stories to tell. I think I found the perfect design for me. And I have to give major thanks to my artist, Juan Puente, at Black Heart Tattoo. He redrew the design and his detail and shading is simply incredible.

IS: Now the standard question: aside from the whole not-going-into-the-office thing, why all the industry tattoos?

JM: I think so many cooks and chefs have/get tattoos for many reasons. Most chefs and cooks I know have an undying love for what we do. I think making any kind of bold, last forever statement just comes with that kind of love for something. I also think that we’re a creative bunch. Bringing that creativity over to another medium just seems natural. Historically, cooks have always been a … unique… bunch. We really don’t fit into any of the standards of modern society. We’re hard at work when everyone else is finishing their day. We are working when everyone else is out having fun …. And, although I can’t speak for everyone, I think we enjoy the pain, at least just a little. And of course we tend to be a little egotistical, so showing off what we do may have something to do with it too.